Lovro von Matacic directs an Eroica in the grand manner (that is, Klemperer-like), with a measured opening movement, an absolutely devastating funeral march, a lively scherzo (love those horns in the trio!), and a beautifully paced and detailed finale, with a coda that needs just that much more energy (no Szell-like craziness here) to make the best possible impression. Still, it’s a very fine reading. In any case, if only for the exceptional playing of the Czech Philharmonic this performance grips the ear from beginning to end–and not just for the woodwinds, but also for the fabulously clean string articulation, with bass lines of astonishing shapeliness and purity. It’s a joy, and the unusual coupling, Oldrich Korte’s (b. 1926) Flute’s Story (a symphonic poem for two obbligato flutes and orchestra) is nothing less than a masterpiece. The idiom is tonal, melodic, energetic, and hauntingly lyrical: this is music in the best Czech tradition, but it doesn’t sound particularly like anyone else. The performance is gorgeous and the restored sonics are a touch reverberant but very easy on the ear–a special disc on all counts.
